Wire line pipe cutter



Jan. 26, 1943. E. VENTRESCA ETAL 2,309,225

WIRE LINE PIPE CUTTER Filed Dec. 19, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l INV ENTQR.

BY fmufi. 02mm ERCOLE VENTRESCA F l5. 1. I'M/C0 VENTRESCA Jan. 26, 1943. E. vENTRECA EI'AL 2,309,225

WIRE LINE PIPE CUTTER Fil ed Dec. 19, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet? L5 5900;: VEN TRE'SC'A AMI/C0 VENTRE'SCA INVENTOR.

Patented Jan. 26, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WIRE LINE PIPE CUTTER Ercole Ventresca and Amico Ventresca, Houston, Tex.

Application December 19, 1941, Serial No. 423,616

11 Claims.

This invention relates to the cutting of pipe in a well, and particularly pertains to a method and means of severing and removing lengths of pipe from a well bore.

When a length of pipe, often called a fish, becomes stuck in a well bore, it is common practice to cut the pipe into lengths and withdraw it from the well. Since such an operation takes place at a considerable depth below the surface of the ground, it is necessary to be able to control the operation of a cutting device so that it may cut and grip the pipe and may be set and released. It is also desirable to provide a structure which will eliminate the necessity of removing an entire string and tools carrying the cutter in the event the cutter or gripping means becomes ineffective. The primary object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive tool that will expeditiously sever and remove lengths of pipe from a string stuck in a well bore.

Another object is to provide a pipe cutter which includes a tubing string for driving the cutter mechanism, such string being provided with a cutter assembly that may be positioned within or removed therefrom without removing the string from the well bore.

Still another object is to provide a cutting tool in which the cutter mechanism may be removed and replaced or repaired at any time during the cutting operation.

A still further object is to provide a cutting tool which comprises a special collar in a rotatable cutter driving string and a cutter assembly which may be retracted from cutting position by means of a wire line.

A further object is to provide a device, of the class described in which the cutter blades are advanced by means of a fluid which is pumped through the driving string.

It is also an object to provide a cutter driving string or stem which includes a collar having slips rotatably mounted therein and adapted to engage and hold the fish during cutting operations by rotation of the string.

A still further object is to provide a cutting tool which includes a cutter driving string adapted to telscope over a fish to be cut and through which a fluid may be pumped to remove debris from about the section to be severed and removed.

By means of the invention the indicated advantages are attained together with other advantages which will more fully appear from the following description and reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

parts when the cutting wardly facing shoulder Fig. 1 is a sectional view through an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the slip member comprising an element of the device;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view similar to that shown in Fig. 1 but showing the relative position of operation has been completed;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 in Fig. 3.

In the drawings the numeral I refers to a pipe or fish from which a section or sections are to be cut in accordance with the invention. The cutter driving strin 2 comprises upper and lower threaded tubular sections 3 and 4 which are interconnected by means of a special composite collar 5.

The lower end'of the collar 5 comprises a nipple 6 threaded at l for connection with the lower section 4 of the string. The walls of the nipple 6 are thickened at l0 and such thickened portion is externally threaded at H for connection with the internal threads at the lower end of the ring member 12 which has an internal down- I3 so that there is formed an annular chamber l4 about the fish I and interiorly of the ring member l2.

Within the annular space I4 there is provided a bearing ring 20 resting upon the upper end of the nipple 6- and surmounted by the bearing assembly 2| comprising a retainer 22 and a p1u rality of ball bearings 23. In turn, there is a slip ring 24 resting upon the bearing assembly 2!, such ring having an internal, opening 25 which is tapered downwardly. It is to be noted that the inner openings of the ring 24, the bearings 2| and the bearing ring 20 are of greater diameter than the fish I so that an annular passage is pro vided between the collar assembly 5 and the fish An upper nipple is threaded internally at its lower end for connection with the upper end of the ring member l2. External threads 3| on the upper end of the nipple 30 complete the connection with the upper section 3 of the driving string. It is to be understood that this driving string is rotatable from the mouth of the well or other opening in which the device of the invention is being used.

The upper nipple 30 has stepped inner surfaces which provide downwardly facing shoulders and 35. Interiorally of the nipple and in abutting relation with the shoulder 35 is a slip member 49 having an inwardly extending annular fiange M at its upper end adapted to be engaged by the upper end of the fish I as the driving string is lowered over the fish.

Below the flange 4I the member MI is slotted longitudinally at 1:2 and 43 so as to provide a plurality of downwardly extending slip jaws 44, each of which has its inner surface serrated at 35 for engagement with the fish I. The outer surface of each of the jaws M is tapered at 46 complementary to the tapered surface 25 in the slip ring 24 so that lifting of the latter relative to the former causes the slip jaws to be engaged and moved radially inwardly to engage the fish I in the manner best seen in Fig. 3.

As more clearly shown in Figs. 2 and l, the diametrically opposite slots 43 in the slip member it are of special configuration and include upper and lower portions 41 and 48 which are offset and are interconnected by a transverse portion which has a downwardly facing shoulder 49 on one of the slip jaws and a downwardly tapering surface 5B spaced therebelow and on the adjacent slip jaw. The slots 43 are designed to receive inwardly projecting ears 5| (Fig. l), on a washer 52 which is held into abutment with the shoulder 36 by means of the compression spring 53 which also engages the upper end of the ring member I2.

As stated in the objects of the invention, the cutter mechanism per se comprises an assembly to which reference is made generally by the numeral 60 and such assembly, in accordance with the invention, may be lowered into operating position or withdrawn therefrom without removing the driving string 2 from the bore within which a cutting operation is being performed. This feature is of advantage, inter alia, in that it enables prompt replacement of the cutter mechanism when such mechanism has become worn or damaged during a cutting operation. Replacement under such circumstances enables the continuation of a cutting operation at the same point when the new or repaired cutter assembly is in position for cutting.

The cutter assembly 60 comprises a cylindrical head member 6I having an external taper 62 adapted to engage a complementary taper 63 in the upper end of the bore in the nipple 30. Such engagement determines the limit of downward movement of the cutter assembly and when the head member ii I has reached this position a spring .pressed dog 64 within the head member is urged outwardly into a recess 65 in the nipple 3B.

The outwardly projecting end of the spring pressed dog 64 has upper and lower curved faces 64 which make it possible for the dog 64 to be retracted from the recess 65 in the event that the cutter assembly is withdrawn from its seated position, as hereinafter explained. It will also be evident that when the dog 64 is in register with the recess 65 the cutter assembly 60 will be held in a releasable but non-rotatable position with relation to the upper nipple 30.

A tubular stem I is attached to and extends downwardly from the head SI and the length of such stem and the head 6| determines the length of the section of the fish I which is to be severed by the cutting operation therewith. The stem Iil is enlarged at its end at H and is threadedly attached to a body member l2, the bore within these members forming a cylindrical chamber 13 within which a piston it is adapted to move. The piston rod I attached to this piston passes outwardly through the end of the cylinder and is provided with teeth It engageable with a sector of teeth I'I upon each of the cutters I8. These cutters are mounted upon pivots I9 extending transversely of a slot 81 through the body member I2 below the cylinder it.

A passage BI extends longitudinally of the head EI and provides communication between the interior of the driving string 2 and the cylinder I3. Similarly passages 32 are provided in the upper end of the nipple 38 so that fiuid may be pumped downwardly through the driving string and about the fish I so that sedimentation about the string during cutting is avoided.

In the operation of the present invention it is to be understood that the fish, indicated by the numeral I as a piece of tubing, is held fastened in the well bore, and that it is necessary to sever lengths of this tubing and to withdraw them from the well. The upper section 3 and the lower section i of the drill string 2 are fitted with a lower nipple B and the upper nipple 39, which are secured together by the collar 5 and within which the cutter assembly Gil is mounted. This structure is lowered into the well bore on successive lengths of drill string until the assembled cutting structure moves to a position at which the fish is to be cut. During the lowering operation fluid is pumped downwardly through the drill string 2 and then through the ducts 82. This will cause the fluid to wash over and around the fish I. When the structure is lowered into the well the lug or ear M on the washer 52 is set beneath the shoulder 49 and holds the slip jaws 4B in their uppermost position with the flange of the member as hearing against the facing shoulder 35 of the nipple 3%. Thus, the slips will be held against a setting operation so long as the drill string 2 is rotated in the direction of the arrow -a, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings. While this rotation takes place, additional fluid pressure may be imposed through the drill string to force fluid through the duct 8I into the cylinder I3. This forces the piston I4 downwardly and causes the piston rod I5 to act to swing the cutters I8 outwardly.

It will be evident that this the cutters to sever the fish I. If, during the cutting operation or subsequent thereto, it is desirable to positively engage the fish and to exert an upward pull upon it, this may be accomplished by rotating the string 2 in a direction counter to its normal direction or rotation until the lug or car 5! has been moved over into the slot 43 of the member at which carries the slip jaws. An

operation will cause upward pull may then be exerted upon the drill string. This will tend to raise the assembled structure, indicated as a composite collar 5, with the result that the ring 2% will move upwardly to wedge around the lower tapered faces 25 of the slip jaws M and to force them against the cylindrical wall of the fish. As the upward pull is continued the composite collar structure and the slip jaw element til will assume the position shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

When it is desired to release the jaws the drill string may be lowered. This will cause the lug or car iii to move downwardly along the slot 43 and then encounter the tapered face till, after which the member El may assume a seated position under the shoulder as. When the structure is i e-locked in this manner the entire device may be lifted from around the fish. It will be understood, however, that if the slips remain set it is possible to elevate the severed portion of the fish from the well. When the piston is has reached the lower end of its stroke a port I3 will be uncovered in the wall of the cylinder 13 to allow the fluid in the cylinder to drain out.

In the event the cutter or slip structure is rendered inefiective in operation, it may be desirable to remove the device from the well. This may be accomplished readily by lowering an Over-shot into the well on a cable to engage the headed projection 90 at the upper end of the cutter assembly 6i). Then when an upward pull is exerted upon the cable the curved upper edge of the dog 64 will engage the upper edge of the recess 65 so that the dog 64 will be retracted into the recess in which it is mounted, and thus release the cutter unit 60 from its seated position within the nipple 30. After the device has been withdrawn from the well and repaired it may be lowered into the well, at which time the dog 64 may be brought into register with the recess 65 to re-lock the cutter unit 60 in its operative position.

It will thus be seen that by the method and means here disclosed it is possible to maintain circulation within the well while the cutter is being lowered to an operative position, and it is thereafter possible to maintain circulation during the cutting operation. It will also be evident that by the arrangement here disclosed the cutters may be urged outwardly by a controlled hydraulic pressure, and that if necessary the entire structure may be restored to its original non-cutting, non-gripping position without removal from the well. Attention is further directed to the fact that the cutter unit may be removed, repaired and replaced without the necessity of retracting the entire string of pipe from the well.

While we have shown the preferred method of and means for cutting pipe, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in the steps of the method as well as various changes in the combination, construction and arrangement of parts of the apparatus by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for severing pipe lodged in a well, which includes a tubular member to be lowered into the well and to be positioned over and around a pipe to be severed, cutting means carried by said tubular member and positioned within said pipe to be severed, gripping means carried by the tubular member and disposed on the outside of the pipe to be severed, hydraulically operating means for actuating said cutters to force them into a cutting position against the wall of the pipe, and means manipulated from the top of the well for actuating and setting the gripping means.

2. A device for severing pipe lodged in a well, which includes a tubular member to be lowered into the well and to be positioned over and around a pipe to be severed, cutting means carried by said tubular member and positioned Within said pipe to be severed, gripping means carried by the tubular member and disposed on the outside of the pipe to be severed, hydraulically operating means for actuating said cutters to force them into a cutting position against the wall of the pipe, means temporarily locking the gripping means against action, and means cooperating between the piece of pipe to be cut and the tubular structure, whereby the tubular structure may be manipulated to release the grip-ping means and set the same.

3. A device for severing pipe lodged in a well, which includes a tubular member to be lowered into the well and to be positioned over and around a pipe to be severed, cutting means carried by said tubular member and positioned within said pipe to be severed, gripping means carried by the tubular member and disposed on the outside of the pipe to be severed, hydraulically operating means for actuating said cutters to force them into a cutting position against the wall of the pipe, means temporarily locking the gripping means against action, means cooperating between the piece of pipe to be cut and the tubular structure, whereby the tubular structure may be manipulated to release the gripping means and set the same, and means for maintaining fluid circulation through the structure at all times.

4. A device for severing pipe lodged in a well bore, which comprises a tubular housing, a tubular string of pipe onto which said housing is connected and by which it is lowered into a well bore, a tubular section attached to said housing and extending downwardly therefrom, a cutter unit carried by said housing and adapted to extend into the end of the pipe to be severed,

outwardly movable cutters forming a part of said cutter unit for engaging and severing pipe, and hydraulically responsive means for moving said cutters outwardly.

5. A device for severing pipe lodged in a well bore, which comprises a tubular housing, a tubular string of pipe onto which said housing is connected and by which it is lowered into a well bore, a cutter unit carried by said housing and adapted to extend into the end of the pipe to be severed, outwardly movable cutters forming a part of said cutter unit for engaging and severing pipe, said unit including hydraulically responsive means for moving said cutters outwardly, and means detachably securing the cutter unit within the housing, whereby it may rotate in unison with the housing and may be bodily removed therefrom without removing the housing from the well bore.

6. A device for cutting pipe lodged in a well bore, which consists of a tubular housing supported upon a string of pipe and adapted to be lowered into the well bore to assume a position around the pipe to be cut at a determined cutting level, a slip structure longitudinally movable within the housing and engaged by the upper end of the pipe to be out, means temporarily locking said slip structure against longitudinal movement, responsive means operable by fluid pumped downwardly through said string of pipe for moving said cutters outwardly, said housing including a bypass for fluid to flow downwardly about the stuck string and upwardly exteriorly of said tubular section, and cooperating means within the housing to set the slip structure in,

gripping relation to the outside of the pipe to be out upon upward movement of the supporting string of pipe.

7. A device for cutting pipe lodged in a well bore, which consists of a tubular housing supported upon a strong of pipe and adapted to be lowered into the well bore to assume a position around the pipe to be cut at a determined cutting level, a slip structure longitudinally movable within the housing and engaged by the upper end of the pipe to be cut, means temporarily locking said slip structure against longitudinal movement and manipulable by the supporting string of pipe to be released, cooperating means within the housing to set the slip structure in gripping relation to the outside of the pipe to be out upon upward movement of the supporting string of pipe, and means whereby downward movement of the supporting string of pipe will release the slip unit from its gripping position and cause it to be re-locked against longitudinal movement.

8. A device for cutting pipe lodged in a well bore, which consists of a tubular housing supported upon a string of pipe and adapted to be lowered into the well bore to assume a position around the pipe to be cut at a determined cutting level, a slip structure longitudinally movable within the housing and engaged by the upper end of the pipe to be out, means temporarily locking said slip structure against longitudinal movement and manipulable by the supporting string of pipe to be released, coopenating means within the housing to set the slip structure in gripping relation to the outside of the pipe to be out upon upward movement of the supporting string of pipe, a cutter structure carried by the housing and adapted to extend into the pipe to be out, and means responsive to fluid pressure delivered through the supporting string of pipe, whereby the cutters of said cutting structure may move outwardly into cutting engagement with the wall of the pipe to be cut.

9. A device for cutting pipe lodged in a Well bore, which consists of a tubular housing supported upon a string of pipe and adapted to be lowered into the well bore to assume a position around the pipe to be cut at a determined cutting level, a slip structure longitudinally movable Within the housing and engaged by the upper end of the pipe to be cut, means temporarily locking said slip structure against longitudinal movement and manipuliable by the supporting string of pipe to be released, cooperating means Within the housing to set the slip structure in gripping relation to the outside of the pipe to be out upon upward movement of the supporting string of pipe, a cutter structure carried by the housing and adapted to extend into the pipe to be cut, means responsive to fluid pressure delivered through the supporting string of pipe, whereby the cutters of said cutting structure may move outwardly into cutting engagement with the Wall of the pipe to be cut, and means releasably locking the cutter unit against longitudinal and rotational movement with relation to the housing and whereby the cutter unit may be removed from the well and replaced within the housing Without movement of the housing or the slips.

10. The method of washing loose and severing pipe stuck in Wells comprising the steps of, lowering an operating pipe into the well, rotating said pipe during the lowering step, circulating a Washing fluid through said operating pipe to Wash debris from about the stuck pipe, moving a cutting unit down through the operating pipe to the level at which a cut is to be effected, actuating the cutters of said unit, and simultaneously rotating the pipe to eiTect the cutting of the stuck pipe.

11. The method of washing loose and severing pipe stuck in wells comprising the steps of, lowering an operating pipe into the well, rotating said pipe during the lowering step, circulating a washing fluid through said operating pipe to Wash debris from about the stuck pipe, moving a cutting unit down through the operating pipe to the level at which a cut is to be eiiected, hydraulically actuating the cutters and continuing the circulation of the washing fluid, and simultaneously rotating the pipe to efiect the cutting of the stuck pipe.

ERCOLE VENTRESCA. AMICO VENTRESCA. 

